SOUTHLAKE, Texas -

The Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals (AFIP) recently handed out its Jakob Murray Lange Memorial Scholarship.

This year’s recipient honored during the annual Northwood University Dealer Education Awards breakfast at NADA Show 2020 in Las Vegas was Katie DeMarse, a Northwood University senior majoring in automotive marketing and management.

The annual scholarship recognizes a Northwood student for exemplary work during an internship the previous summer. DeMarse spent last summer working on a digital marketing project for an automotive solution startup company in Virginia. She had the opportunity to participate in ground floor analysis and strategic planning.

Donna Bavely, a software architect who sponsored DeMarse’s internship, had nothing but praise for her intern. In a note to DeMarse that Bavely posted on LinkedIn, she describes DeMarse as “a brilliant, ambitious young lady … the definition of ‘the perfect employee’ (let alone intern),” and “a natural born leader.”

DeMarse’s first two internships were with Northtown Automotive Companies and Ballweg Automotive. She served as the Asian Chairwoman for the 2019 Northwood University International Auto Show and recently moderated a panel discussion about the future of mobility at the Net Impact Conference.

DeMarse hails from Escanaba, Mich., a small town in the upper peninsula of Michigan. She said in a news release that she “loves Northwood for the opportunities it provides, such as internships and private donor scholarships.”

DeMarse also received the Barbara Cox Memorial Scholarship in 2018.

With her May graduation fast approaching, DeMarse is fielding multiple job offers. However, she’s planning on attending Northwood’s Spring Career Fair before she makes a decision.

This is the seventh year AFIP has awarded the scholarship, which honors an AFIP staff member, Jakob Murray Lange, who died in a car accident in 2013. A plaque recognizing the scholarship recipients is on display in the NADA building on the Northwood University campus.

In addition, DeMarse will receive a crystalline obelisk in recognition of her achievement.

“Northwood University’s automotive marketing and management graduates leave with a unique blend of academic knowledge and practical skills,” AFIP executive director Dave Robertson said. “They are actively sought by automobile industry employers and possess a sense of competitive camaraderie normally exhibited by graduates of Ivy League schools.

“As AFIP’s 2020 Jakob Murray Lange Memorial Scholarship recipient, Ms. DeMarse is the personification of the best Northwood has to offer,” Robertson added.

The AFIP scholarship recipient is selected each year by a Northwood automotive marketing and management department committee.

“Internships have been instrumental in preparing our students for meaningful employment for many years,” department chair Elgie Bright said. “Actual dealership experience is invaluable to student success as they move from the classroom to the showroom. The AFIP scholarship supports students in their career paths and boosts interest in internship opportunities.”

For more information about Northwood University’s automotive marketing and management program, visit www.northwood.edu. For more information about AFIP, visit www.afip.com.